Generally, a denture should be reconfigured periodically. Because a condition in an oral cavity and a muscle force of a patient change over time, an optimum denture for the patient cannot be made by only reconstructing a shape before occlusal wear (abrasion due to dental occlusion) of a presently used denture. Therefore, a dental technician observes a condition of the occlusal wear of the used denture to image an optimum shape of a denture for the patient so as to determine a detailed configuration of a denture to be newly made. For instance, in a case in which the used denture has been unevenly worn, a cusp is adjusted in its shape and position so that a particularly worn part will be hard to wear and the other part will be easy to wear.
When making a denture in such way, a detailed configuration of the denture is determined in a seat of the pants approach by a doctor or a dental technician. Therefore, an apparatus that can evaluate quantitatively an occlusal wear of a used denture is desired in order to allow even a less-experienced doctor or dental technician to determine an optimum denture configuration for a patient.
With respect to a denture configuration, JP 2005-329055 A describes a system scanning three dimensional shape of teeth and indicating the shape of the teeth on a computer, and JP 2004-195152 A describes replicating or simulating an occlusal condition on a computer using three dimensional data of maxillary tooth and mandibular tooth. Also, JP 2007-111519 A describes a system that indicates teeth in a predetermined view and at a predetermined magnification on a screen.